Bitumen scam: Jharkhand suspends two engineers

RANCHI - Jharkhand government Tuesday suspended two engineers allegedly involved in the state’s bitumen scam worth more than Rs.120 crore, an official said.

“Ramvilas Sahu and Arun Singh have been suspended for their alleged involvement in the bitumen scam. The state government has also granted permission to CBI to prosecute them,” the officials said.

The scam refers to the sale and procurement of bitumen for the construction of roads in the state during 2001 to 2006.

Jharkhand High Court last year asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct an enquiry after allegations of financial irregularity emerged.

CBI had informed the court that it had sought Jharkhand government’s permission to prosecute 16 officials of the road and construction department.

“The suspension is the outcome of the CBI move to seek their prosecution,” the official added.